The Blu Pure XL is an affordable unlocked phablet with a premium build and powerful hardware, making it a compelling alternative to major flagships.

Blu is becoming known for selling spec-heavy smartphones with premium builds at low prices, and the Blu Pure XL (64GB; $349) is no exception. With its metal frame, Quad HD AMOLED display, tons of storage, and solid performance, the Pure XL is an unlocked phone for users who don't want to spring for more expensive phablets like the Nexus 6P, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, or the Apple iPhone 6s Plus. It's not quite worthy of our Editors' Choice, but for the price, you should be happy.

Physical Features and BatteryI've never been one to complain about phone sizes—I gave the hefty Nexus 6P our Editors' Choice, after all. That said, even I think the Blu Pure XL is pushing the size limits of smartphone usability. At 6.46 by 3.24 by 0.37 inches (HWD) and 7.3 ounces, it's larger and heavier than nearly every other phablet we've reviewed, including the Nexus 6P (6.27 by 3.06 by 0.29 inches, 6.28 ounces) and the Moto X Pure Edition (6.06 by 3 by 0.44 inches, 6.31 ounces). This is a two-handed phablet, for big-device lovers only.

In terms of design, the Pure XL aims for—and achieves—a classy look. It's bound by a square metal frame, with a removable gold back panel that feels premium despite its polycarbonate build. There are capacitive touch buttons below the display, with no option for on-screen buttons. I usually don't mind capacitive buttons, as they save screen real estate (look at the OnePlus 2), but the Pure XL is just too big to comfortably hit all the buttons with your thumb.

The fingerprint scanner on the back is reachable, though it's a stretch compared with the Nexus 6P. It's also not as fast or reliable, often requiring a few tries to get right. Taking the phone's back cover off gives you access to two SIM slots and an expandable memory slot (for microSD cards up to 64GB). You can also swap out the standard back panel for the included flip cover case, which has a window on front for the time, date, and notifications. The massive 3,500mAh battery is non-removable, which is unfortunate because a device this size could always do with the extra juice.

In our battery rundown test, where we continuously stream full-screen video over LTE, the Pure XL clocked 5 hours, 58 minutes, which is significantly less than the Nexus 6P (9 hours, 58 minutes), but a lot better than the Moto X Pure (4 hours, 42 minutes). That said, you can definitely get a full day's worth of normal use out of it.

Part of the reason for that battery drain is due to Pure XL's bright 6-inch 2,560-by-1,440 AMOLED display. Simply put, this is a fantastic display for an affordable device—or any device, for that matter. The display renders rich colors and detail, with a dense 490 pixels per inch. Putting the phone next to the Note 5, the difference in quality is almost indistinguishable. Compared with the Nexus 6P, meanwhile, the Pure XL gets bright but displays slightly cooler whites. The Moto X Pure has an in-plane switching (IPS) display, so it tends to have less saturated colors and starker whites.

Network Performance and SoundThe Pure XL supports GSM (850/1800/1900), HSDPA (850/1700/1900/2100), and Cat. 4 LTE with bands 2/4/7/17. You'll notice there's a fair number of bands missing here, including T-Mobile's Band 12, which will limit your connectivity outside of cities. I tested the phone with an AT&T SIM and saw average reception in midtown Manhattan. The phone also supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC, so you can use Android Pay.

Voice calls and noise

Processor and CameraThe Pure XL boasts a Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10 processor with 3GB of RAM. Mediatek processors don't have the best reputation next to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 and Samsung Exynos 7420 chips in the Nexus 6P and the Note 5, respectively, but the Helio holds its own. The Pure XL scored 49,116 in the AnTuTu benchmark test, which is on par with the Snapdragon 808-powered Moto X Pure (49,257), and within striking distance of the

The impressive-sounding 24-megapixel rear-facing camera doesn't quite live up to expectations. It tends to be blurry upon launch, requiring several seconds for the autofocus to kick in. The autofocus does a poor job picking what the sensor should center on, so you're better off tapping the focus point on-screen to decide for yourself. Once the camera has focused, it handles much better, offering decently detailed shots in well-lit settings, on par with the Moto X Pure.

Video performance isn't as strong. Footage taken outdoors on a cloudy day was often unfocused and suffered from significant amounts of grain and noise. The 8-megapixel selfie camera is much better; shots were well-focused, detailed, and crisp. It even handled well in low light.

Software and ConclusionsThe Blu Pure XL runs Android 5.1 Lollipop, with a vaguely iOS-like skin on top. There's no app drawer, so all of your apps are splashed across the home screen, which I'm not a big fan of. There are some major customizations to the settings menu and a few pre-installed apps. Space isn't a problem, though. The device ships with 64GB of internal storage, with 51.35GB free. On top of that, you can double your storage with a 64GB card via the microSD slot.

The main reason to get the Nexus 6P, the Note 5, or the Moto X Pure over the Pure XL, is that with Blu, you are unlikely to see any major OS updates. That means as other phones get updated to Android 6.0 and beyond, you'll be stuck with Lollipop, so keep that in mind before buying.

The Blu Pure XL has flagship-level hardware for a midrange price. It comes surprisingly close in display quality and general performance to rivals like the Nexus 6P and the Note 5, although it falls behind in software. The Moto X Pure is a close competitor, and a better option if you want to take advantage of Moto Maker customizations, more North American bands (it will get T-Mobile's Band 12 with Marshmallow), and a mostly stock Android UI. However, it starts at $399 for 16GB, making it a good deal pricier than the Pure XL. So in terms of price-to-performance, you'll be hard pressed to find a better $300 phablet. It's definitely worth a look if you're shopping on a budget.

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About the Author

Ajay Kumar is PCMag's Analyst obsessed with all things mobile. Ajay reviews phones, tablets, accessories, and just about any other gadget that can be carried around with you. In his spare time he games on the rig he built himself, collects Nintendo amiibos, and tries his hand at publishing a novel. Follow Ajay on Twitter @Ajay_H_Kumar.

Blu Pure XL

Blu Pure XL

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